


Beneath the Broken Stars

by pints (MegCapet)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-30
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-07 00:36:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4242807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegCapet/pseuds/pints
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kim Junmyeon of EXO Planet is a Senator on the rise. With his handsome face and provocative opinions, he has managed to capture the attention of the entire quadrant, including that of secretive mining mogul, Kris Wu.   What Junmyeon doesn’t know is that Kris’s intentions are far darker and more desperate than a few stolen kisses beneath the broken stars of Coruscant.</p><p>Filled with dark magic, lucrative bounties and forbidden lust, Beneath The Broken Stars is an EXO/Star Wars alternate universe, begun during the 2014 National Novel Writing Month challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…_

An unsteady peace has settled upon the galaxy. Under the direction of Supreme Chancellor Siwon, the Inner Rim thrives in an era of economic success. Powerful mining companies, including those owned by the mysterious and secretive Kris Wu, fund the boom.

But not all are so pleased with the direction of the new Galactic Senate and the Outer planets grow weary. For deep in the hidden jungles of these far off clusters, darkness lingers and ancient magic is practiced. The old myths refuse to die.

Newly elected and desperate to protect his people from the evil lurking in the wilderness of EXO Planet, Junior Senator Kim Junmyeon arranges to present his pleas to the Senate…


	2. One

Kris’s long fingers trailed down the center of Junmyeon’s back, leaving a dusting of Force energy along Junmyeon’s spine that caused his lover to flex and bend to his every touch. The young Senator moaned Kris’s name in the most debauched and filthy way possible as he came untouched into the sheets for the second time that night. Kris just smiled, his voice surprisingly soft and reverent, “Come down for me. Let me take you down from this place.”

Junmyeon shuddered and rutted his hips against the mattress, Kris’s quiet manipulation of the Senator’s own Force-sensitive psyche turning each of his orgasms into a wild ride of sensations that wrecked his body and mind. “Kris,” Junmyeon cried out again, desperate for the pleasure he knew only Kris could give him, “Please… I can handle another one.”

“Greedy,” Kris laughed, leaning into kiss Junmyeon’s neck tenderly, “Did you truly miss me that much?”

“I always miss you,” Junmyeon admitted, his breathing slowly returning to normal as he shifted to avoid the mess he had made of the bed, “I always need you to stay longer.”

Kris let his lover slip into his arms and pulled the younger human tight against him, capturing Junmyeon’s lips in a passionate kiss, “We need to clean you up. You have a speech in the morning, if I’m not mistaken. You have to rest. We want you to be at your very best for the Senate, don’t we?”

“Sure,” Junmyeon replied, his entire body still riding on waves of bliss from the combination of Kris’s eager body and the Force magic his lover had left behind, the residue still sticking to his skin, slowly teasing him back to hardness, “But for you, I will wake up this body a thousand times. Tell me you’re staying on Coruscant this time. At least for a few days?”

Kris hated to watch the younger man’s face drop as he shook his head, “I’m needed in the Outer Rim. You know how business is. I can never be in one place too long without a crisis.” In spite of himself, Kris felt his own face fall at the thought of being away from his lover yet again.

Junmyeon nodded and turned away from Kris so that his lover could not see his expression. That was one beautiful thing about Junmyeon, Kris had learned in the months that they had been carrying on this affair – Junmyeon would always agree in theory, would always pretend that everything was alright in his words, but his face gave him away every time. The boy wore his every emotion on his face and could not hide, at least not from those who knew him best.

Kris’s heart stuttered as he cupped Junmyeon’s cheek in one of his large hands and turned the Senator back to look at him, the younger man’s eyes just wet with a hint of tears, “I would stay on Coruscant, if I could. I would stay with you if I could.”

“I know,” Junmyeon said, melting into Kris’s touch, putty in his lover’s hands, “I just wish that it were easier for us to see each other. Where in the Outer Rim are you going? I’m meant to visit EXO Planet next week for a tour of the new developments? Maybe we could take the same shuttle. I could leave after the session tomorrow. It would give the two of us a few more days together.”

Kris shook his head, giving Junmyeon a sad smile, “I’m headed to Tatooine actually. Practically the opposite side of the galaxy.”

“Ah,” Junmyeon agreed with a hint of pity in his voice, “You’ll be dealing with the Hutts again. I am sorry. They gave you such trouble last time.”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Kris said with a roll of his eyes, leaning in to the press a quick kiss to Junmyeon’s nose, “I’ll be back by next month, if not sooner.”

Junmyeon pressed a palm against Kris’s chest, as though trying to feel his heart beat for any hint of a change, “Promise? Promise me that you’ll be back next month. And that you’ll stay as long as you can?”

Kris stood up, brushing Junmyeon’s dark hair away from his eyes and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. He slipped his arms underneath Junmyeon’s shoulders and knees and easily picked up the smaller man, heading for the washroom, “There are no promises in my line of work. Just know that that is exactly what I want to promise you.”

Junmyeon nuzzled into Kris’s neck, “How I did fall in love with the busiest man in the galaxy?”

“You have no idea,” Kris whispered in his lover’s hair, carefully waving a hand to turn on the bathwater and lowering his lover into the warm water, “Clean up. I’ll take care of the bed. Do you want something to drink?”

Junmyeon let himself relax into the comfort of the water, reaching out to hold Kris’s hand as long as possible, “The bed can wait. I want you to wash my hair.”

+

Kris pressed another desperate kiss to Junmyeon’s lips before helping his Senator into the waiting escort car. Junmyeon’s fingers kept hold of his just a beat too long, the driver giving both of them an annoyed glance before announcing that he had another pick up scheduled. As a junior senator, Junmyeon shared his appointed car with several other lower-level senators from the same sector. Junmyeon nodded at Kris, whispering, “I love you,” so that only Kris could hear, before hitting the button to close the door, sending Junmyeon and his driver off into the heavy Coruscant traffic.

Kris started to reply, wanted to call out for Junmyeon and ask him to stay, but caught himself, feeling another presence approach from behind. 

“It’s disgusting how you pander to him,” a frustrated voice expressed from the shadows, “We should just put him under hypnosis and have the papers signed. EXO Planet is too important to our cause for its fate to be left to your cock.”

Kris rolled his neck back, releasing the spell that cloaked the true appearance of his eyes, long turned by the Sith magic. The warm brown eyes that comforted Junmyeon disappeared, replaced by fiery pupils surrounded by a sea of inky black, “You will learn to respect my decisions one day, Jongdae. When we are successful, you will understand why we did it this way.”

“I think you are starting to like him,” Kris’s Sith apprentice accused, stepping into his Master’s field of vision, his face cloaked as always beneath his standard black hood. “Just remember that he is a means to an end, not the end. You probably should have just bedded the other one and been done with it.”

“No,” Kris said with certainty, “Kim Junmyeon is the one we need. You don’t understand yet the power that this one boy has to change the world. He’s a true believer, Jongdae. He believes in his cause, loves that rock of a planet with all of his pure little heart.” Kris paused in his explanation, smiling to himself as he recalled the expression of pure delight that would cross Junmyeon’s face at the merest mention of his home planet. “If we are to bring balance to the Force and awaken what lies beneath the temple as the Witch told us, we are going to need someone just like him. We need someone who can bring us to the temple gates, someone who will fight for us in the arenas where we are not welcome.”

Jongdae snorted and turned to go back into their shared apartment overlooking the city, “I hate when you talk like that. I understand that the Sith are all about mystery and whatever, but you could do with being a little less vaguely esoteric. It’s probably why we don’t have many friends.”

Kris ignored his apprentice, choosing to stay out on the landing platform, watching the traffic of the planet-wide city pass beneath them. Perhaps he was getting a little too involved in with the Senator, but it wasn’t as though he couldn’t end it when the time came to make their move. Jongdae was just being paranoid and judgmental as usual. Kris pulled his night robes tighter around him, a sudden chill taking hold.

For a brief second, he wished he had pulled Junmyeon from the craft and taken him back to his bed. He imagined tucking him into fresh sheets and kissing his eyelids as he slept. He imagined waking up to Junmyeon’s pretty lips kissing him awake and helping his Senator get dressed for his speech. A dusting of Force lightning teased at his fingertips, shocking him back to reality.

Yes, perhaps he was getting a little too involved.

+

Junmyeon collapsed into his seat, glancing around the Senate chamber and suddenly feeling very overwhelmed at the sheer number of representatives who had shown up for today’s debate. The Senate chamber was never full, but it was easily the most crowded that Junmyeon had ever seen it in the year and a half that he had held his post.

“You look terrified,” the senior EXO Planet Senator whispered, leaning in to lay a comforting hand on Junmyeon’s thigh, “Don’t worry. You’ve worked very hard to make this debate happen. EXO Planet is very proud of you, I am proud of you and you should be proud of yourself.”

Junmyeon nodded, “Thank you, Jinki. I just – I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Hmm,” Jinki responded, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to their attendant before pulling on the stately over robes that we were required of their station, “Couldn’t sleep or got in far later than any Senator with a major debate in the morning should?”

“It wasn’t that late,” Junmyeon replied too quickly, blushing. Jinki had been a Senator for many years and rarely missed anything, especially if it concerned his junior.

“Where were you then? Working on your speech?”

“No,” Junmyeon admitted, looking down at his feet to try and hide his grin from the other man.

“Do not tell me that Kris Wu is back on planet,” Jinki said quietly, looking this way and that as though checking for eavesdroppers, despite the conversation taking place in one of the safest places in the entire republic, “Junmyeon, I’ve told you what I think of him. He is not appropriate company for a Senator with your potential. If the Holonet gossip broadcasts found out-“

“Let them,” Junmyeon interrupted, turning red with embarrassment at his sudden rudeness towards his elder and mentor, but continued, “I mean, what is so bad about him anyway? I know you say he’s a businessman – of course he is! But why is that so bad? Who does it hurt?” Junmyeon trailed off for a moment, hesitant when he saw the surprised expression on his mentor’s face from his outburst. He licked his lip nervously and continued on, training his voice into a calmer tone, “He is involved in mining on the completely other side of the galaxy from EXO Planet. I would never, ever risk the well-being of our people for the sake of my personal feelings. And he has never asked me to do anything that would put our planet or its interests at risk.”

“Yet,” Jinki pointed out, repeating his warnings, “But we all know his type.”

“You don’t know him, though,” Junmyeon said, “Isn’t it enough that he treats me well? Isn’t it enough that he makes me happy?”

Jinki cocked an eyebrow, “You talk as though the two of you are very serious. I thought it was just sex.”

Junmyeon pressed his lips together and looked back at his notes for the debate, flipping through screens at a rate too fast for anyone to actually read. Jinki took the hint, nodding to himself and calling up some statistics on his own datapad to hand over to his young colleague, tapping their devices together to transfer his report to Junmyeon.

“Thank you,” Junmyeon said simply, taking a deep breath, “And… Jinki, just – will you please believe me that I wouldn’t do a thing to hurt our chances at winning this debate? If I thought that Kris was acting against the interests of EXO Planet or any of her allies, I wouldn’t go back to him. Can you please believe that?” Junmyeon turned his whole body then, his eyes wide as he implored Jinki to believe him. 

Jinki looked over the younger Senator and smiled, easing Junmyeon’s pained expression. Jinki watched the other man go back to his preparations and, giving Junmyeon some time alone to ready himself, stepped out of their box to get a drink. 

Jinki remembered his junior years as a senator – he remembered being constantly nervous, the feeling of being pulled in a million directions as every faction within the senate, every interest group, every trade committee, courted you for your vote. He remembered being overwhelmed; he remembered being always so full of every delicacy from every star system as multiple higher level Senators sought him for votes and support.

Mostly he remembered being confused and struggling to understand which ideas were truly his and which had been implanted by the various forces present in the Senate – committees that thrived on providing half-truths to eager young Senators in their hunt for support, businesses that supplied every comfort to secure better trade deals with this or that planet.

Junmyeon, though, had come to the Senate so very different than Jinki. Junmyeon had started young, working as a Senate aide for nearly eight years before running himself for the position against a very popular candidate back home. No one had expected him to win, but his passion for the youth of EXO Planet – the people who, like him, had grown up in the shadow of the growing Dark of the Forest – had invigorated a block of voters that no one had seen before. 

He was elected by a landslide and had since made it his business to fight for the planet at every opportunity, including this upcoming debate that would, if successful, funnel new relocation and settlement funds into the stressed EXO Planet economy. In just under a year and half, Kim Junmyeon had made himself a political superstar if you were involved in the right circles. Jinki was happy to see his planet receive such attention, but when Kris Wu had decided to show up late in the last round of negotiation sessions, the older Senator had found himself growing more and more concerned. And now, here was Junmyeon, always the type to be in bed before the late night Holonet broadcasts had started, staying out late to be with his capitalist of a boyfriend. If ‘boyfriend’ was even the proper term…

Jinki shook his head and turned to go back into their box, the bell calling the Senators to session just beginning to ring. Junmyeon was already smiling and typing happily at his datapad when Jinki returned, their conversation mostly forgotten at the prospect of speaking before the entire senate.

The Chancellor took his place before the Senate and raised a hand toward the box containing the representatives from EXO Planet, “The Senate recognizes the esteemed Senator Kim Junmyeon of EXO Planet. He will present his arguments first, responses and counter-arguments to follow from representatives of Nar Shaddaa, Ord Mantell, and the Alderaan system.”

Junmyeon bowed once in all directions, as was custom on EXO Planet, as their box flew towards the center of the room, “Respected members of the Senate and honored guests, today I bring before the Senate the plight of EXO Planet and of all colonists on planets formerly occupied by the Cult of the Sith. It is time that the Senate and the Jedi Council acknowledge the growing Dark that we have all seen. It is time that we do something about this thing that is taking my people.”

+

“They will have to listen to us now,” the representative of Korriban said with an intense slap on Junmyeon’s back, “You have saved us all with your strong will, young man. We of Korriban are eternally grateful for your continued hard work.”

Junmyeon bowed again, taking the other Senator’s hand in his own, “And we of EXO Planet appreciate the Korriban system’s patronage of our mining utilities. You can be assured that production will double or even triple once we are able to get the Dark under control. We will not let the shadow of the Sith reign over us any longer.”

The Korriban Senator laughed heartily and pulled Junmyeon into an unexpected hug, knocking the air out of the smaller man, “You are a gift, Kim Junmyeon! If we can get this bill passed and convince the Jedi of our struggles, you will be a hero on our planet, your’s and beyond.”

“Thank you,” Junmyeon replied, pulling away slowly, so as not to offend, “I hate to cut our conversation short, Senator, but I am planning to return to my system in a few days and I must finish –“

“Senator Kim, you have another visitor,” a bright female voice said from inside Junmyeon’s office, calling him away from the line of representatives that were waiting to give him their congratulations on his presentations. Wendy, the young Senate aide, smiled as Junmyeon narrowly avoided being pulled into bear hug from an exceptionally large Wookie. Junmyeon gave her a grateful look as the door closed behind him, “You are a gift, Wendy. Please just… can I get a glass of water and no visitors for the next three to six hours?”

Wendy started towards the carafe of water that was already sitting out, “But sir, you really do have another visitor.”

Junmyeon stopped in his tracks, his hand halfway to the keypad that would have opened his office door, “I wasn’t aware that I had an appointment today. I thought we decided to clear the schedule pending the results of the debate.”

“I don’t know that you’ll be too upset about this one,” Wendy said with a suggestive smirk, handing the parched Senator the requested glass of water, “He let himself in, anyway. There was nothing I could do.”

Junmyeon continued to watch Wendy’s face as he pressed the keypad, not wanting to excite himself over nothing when a familiar, deep voice called to him from within his office, “Senator Kim, that was a very impressive speech today. I came to offer my congratulations.”

“Mr. Wu,” Junmyeon said with an overly formal tone from the doorway, bowing slightly as his eyes met his lover’s, Kris looking perfectly comfortable lounging in Junmyeon’s chair, “I didn’t know you were such a humanitarian, to be so concerned for the people of EXO Planet.”

Wendy groaned and mumbled something about them being completely “disgusting” and shoved her employer through the threshold of his office, closing the door behind him with emphasis. If it were still possible to slam a door shut, Wendy would have undoubtedly done just that. Junmyeon didn’t move from his spot at the door however, his entire body trembling at the thought that Kris Wu was here with him.

Kris smiled fondly, crossing the room quickly on his long legs, “I have my pet projects.” He held Junmyeon’s face delicately in his hands and brought their lips together in a surprisingly chaste kiss, much to Junmyeon’s simultaneous pleasure and disappointment. “My docking permit expires in 30 minutes, but I couldn’t leave the system without seeing you again. Just once more. I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Junmyeon managed to whisper, his heart beating a hundred times faster in his chest. Yes, he and Kris had discussed his work before. Kris was aware of how much this project meant to him. But the elusive businessman had never attended a session as far as Junmyeon knew. He had been working so hard to make this debate happen, nights and long weekends and hundreds of visits to every previous Sith stronghold to witness the Dark himself and all of it was strangely validated, not by the handshakes from his colleagues or Jinki’s warm smile as he sat down after his arguments, but by this quiet comment from a man who had only recently come to mean everything to him. Junmyeon shivered and buried his face in Kris’s chest, the older man’s breath hitching in surprise.

Kris hummed happily after a moment and stroked Junmyeon’s hair, “And if you need anything – credits, equipment – please, think of me.”

“What?” Junmyeon’s happiness slammed to a halt , his heart heavy in his chest as all of Jinki’s comments and suspicions came rushing back to him, “Why would your company be interested in EXO Planet?”

Kris immediately sensed his lover’s frustration and fear, the confusion radiating off the younger man through the Force. He brushed another quick kiss over Junmyeon’s lips, “This isn’t about the company. Please believe that. This is coming from me. Whatever you need, no strings attached. No contracts to sign.” Kris bent down to nuzzle against Junmyeon’s neck, pushing his lover against the door and nibbling eagerly at the tender skin, “I seem to have developed more than a slight personal interest in the well-being of EXO Planet and her genius Senator.”

“No contracts, no company insignias on the equipment, nothing,” Junmyeon repeated, leaning into Kris’s touch, even as his voice remained tough and to the point, “You know I can’t be caught giving preference to any company or developer. And I won’t. I will never endanger the progress and future of EXO Planet for anything.”

“And I would never ask you to do that,” Kris said firmly, pulling back and looking into Junmyeon’s eyes very seriously, “Please say that you trust that. This was supposed to be a happy visit. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Junmyeon took Kris’s hands in his, interlocking their fingers with a sigh, “I trust you. I just have to be careful. There will be a lot of people looking to take advantage of me and of EXO Planet’s position in the coming weeks and months. I can’t be caught in the middle of that. I have to remain strong for my people.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Kris said with a small smile, squeezing Junmyeon’s hands in his, “It is something I greatly admire about you. You are a true believer. Do not ever let the Senate or the Jedi take that from you.”

“The Jedi?” Junmyeon asked with a laugh, “What do they have to do with this?”

Kris shrugged, taking a step back, schooling his face into a carefully neutral expression, “Nothing yet. But you know my opinion of the Temple. You should not count them as allies in your struggle. Knowing them, they would co-opt your hard work and use it to better their own situation. You must be careful if the Jedi come to visit with you. Promise me, Junmyeon, that you will not consider an offer of help from the Temple without discussing it with me first.”

Junmyeon’s forehead creased in concern, “The Jedi have stood with the Senate for many years. They wouldn’t – They are inefficient, peacekeeping priests, nothing more, Kris. They are nothing to be afraid of, even with their laser swords and their seemingly endless wealth.”

“If you say so,” Kris said, running his fingers over the wood of Junmyeon’s Old World style desk, imported from EXO Planet to remind the young Senator of all that he had promised to protect. Kris swallowed hard as the residual magic of years of Sith occupation teased up into his being, the life of the tree that had died for Junmyeon’s desk coming up to meet with Kris. “Just promise me that you will tell me, if they do come to visit you.”

Junmyeon crossed the room to stand beside his lover, covering Kris’s hand with his both of his own, “I promise I will consider your opinion if the Jedi decide to become involved in our plans.”

“How very political of you,” Kris laughed,  
.  
An unexpected but powerful affection for Junmyeon’s stubbornness washed over him, “I am only trying to look out for my treasure.” He gently caressed Junmyeon’s hand with Force energy, earning a sigh of pleasure of his young Senator. “One day, you’ll understand why I am so afraid of them.”

Junmyeon closed his eyes and let the feeling wash over him, “Yes, I’d like that.”

Kris nodded and pulled his hands away, ripping the energy away as he went and shocking Junmyeon back to reality. Kris led him carefully to his chair and helped his Senator sit, passing him the nearly forgotten glass of water, “I have to go. My permit will expire and I have to be off-planet as soon as possible. Meetings, business, you know.”

“Right,” Junmyeon agreed, still a bit dazed, “Thank you for coming. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome, my treasure,” Kris whispered, turning to leave the room, waving at Wendy as he slipped through the foyer and past the line of Senators and dignitaries pestering the young woman for an appointment time with her employer. Only one of the visitors even bothered to look up and watch the businessman as he exited the room, the visitor reaching up to increase the nitrogen feed on his breathing apparatus, unsure of what he had just witnessed. Yixing stored the information in the back of his mind and told himself he would look into it when he returned to the Temple.


	3. Two

Donghae rolled his eyes as he entered his younger brother's room, not surprised to find Sehun stretched out across his bed, completely naked and snoring loudly. Evidence of the night's activities lay strewn about the room - a pair of restraints hung from the bed frame, a state of the art light whip was discarded but still activated nearby and, most damning, one of the boys who managed the royal family's fleet of hover vehicles was still bound and gagged at the foot of the bed, glancing up at Donghae, half embarrassed, half overjoyed at the promise of release. 

Perhaps a roll of the eyes had been a slightly understated reaction, but Donghae knew better than to expect any less than debauchery when he entered the youngest prince's quarters.

Making quick work of releasing the household help from his his unfortunate situation, Donghae set to work waking up his brother. Raising a hand, he left a violent spank across Sehun's round bottom, groaning with disgust when Sehun moaned in his sleep from the contact. The younger prince rolled over, exposing himself without shame and opening his eyes.

"What are you doing in here? I'm sleeping," Sehun asked, his voice lazy with dreams, the lisp he worked so hard to hide coming out. He made no move to cover himself, morning erection standing tall from his flat stomach.

Donghae flicked his middle finger hard against his brother’s thigh, "I can see that. But it's nearly midday and the Queen Mother has requested your presence in her rooms this afternoon."

Sehun's face scrunched up in confusion, an expression that reminded Donghae just how young his brother truly was. "Mama.... She asked to see me?"

"She did," Donghae confirmed, taking Sehun’s hand and pulling him out of bed, "She has something very important to discuss with you, actually. I think you'll want to make this meeting."

The smile that spread across Sehun's face instantly brightened Donghae's mood and had him rushing after his brother, helping the younger dress and carefully brushing down his hair to make sure he was decent for an audience with their mother. Sehun bounced on the balls of his feet, repeating with a childish joy his surprise that his mother was willing to see him. 

It wasn't that Victoria wasn't fond of her youngest son, but the rules of their cluster dictated that the Queen Mother spend the majority of her time tending to the education and well-being of the future queen - their sister, Jinah. Sehun, the youngest of a family plagued with too many boys, was oftentimes the last to receive his mother's favor, raised almost exclusively by his older brothers and sisters. Today's invitation to attend to his mother in her chambers was a high honor. Donghae took his brother's hand and squeezed it tight, hoping that the younger felt his affection before calling out to invite in their servants. 

Bowls of hearty breakfast stew and warm flatbreads were placed on the table in the center of the room, one of Sehun’s favorite meals since childhood. The younger Hapan royal played nervously with his spoon as they sat down but did not eat. 

Donghae pushed the plate of flatbreads toward his brother, “Eat something, please. Mother will have my neck if you come to her with your stomach rumbling.”

The corner of Sehun’s mouth turned up in a half-smile, “I’m not usually up in time for breakfast, so this is a little… weird.”

Donghae suppressed a laugh and leaned back in his chair, “Sehun, tell me. Is this the sort of life you always want to live? Do you… ever think about your education or a career outside of the palace complex?”

“I… no,” Sehun admitted, sipping delicately at the stew broth and smacking his lips together, “This is good! Just like I remember it.”

The older man watched for a moment as his brother tucked into the large bowl of soup that had been presented to him. For all his unusual, sexual interests, Sehun was very much a child, digging to the bottom of the bowl to pluck out the choicest bits of meat and sweet vegetable. The wide smile that spread across his face when he discovered that he had been the recipient of a prized boiled egg - a custom in their culture to foretell of good luck for the recipient - was as precious to Donghae as anything. 

“Sehun,” Donghae repeated, more seriously this time, “You know we all love you, but it’s been almost a year since you left the university. Don’t you think it’s time to start finding some new interests? New priorities? A career maybe?”

Sehun shook his head, dipping a piece of his bread into the stew and watching with too much interest as it became soft and stained with rich spices, “It was too hard. The university…”

“No, Sehun,” Donghae said, pressing his lips together for a moment as he considered his words, “You had your heart broken. And you ran away.”

The younger boy swallowed the wet bread with a heavy gulp, “Like I said, it was too hard.”

Donghae waved a hand to dismiss the servants that stood nearby, carafes at the ready to refill the boys’ glasses. He stood as though to follow them, but instead walked around the table to embrace his brother in a warm hug from behind, “Nothing is too hard for you, baby brother. We all believe in you. We know you’ll do great things.”

Sehun set down his spoon and leaned back into his brother’s arms, putting on his most obnoxiously adorable voice, “Is this about the meeting with Mother? Do you know what she wants with me? I think you do.”

“I think that’s enough breakfast for you then,” Donghae laughed to avoid the question, pulling the younger royal from his seat and brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. 

"You do know that she wants to talk about!" Sehun exclaimed eagerly, as Donghae began to escort him towards the inner chambers, the previous conversation already forgotten as was Sehun’s way, "Am I in trouble again? I promise, brother, I didn't know that boy was the son of the ambassador and he did like it!"

Donghae sighed dramatically, "I can assure you it has nothing to do with your unique appetites, Sehun. Well - almost nothing."

Sehun made another of his patented concerned expressions and let Donghae lead him into the Queen's rooms, rolling that bit of information over and over in his mind as he tried to understand its meaning. Victoria’s rooms were always busy - bustling with the day’s allowed petitioners and servants trying to keep them all comfortable. The room was sparsely furnished, a direct request from Victoria who preferred to keep visitors, especially those of a political nature, very literally on their toes. Sehun glanced at Donghae, nudging his brother with his elbow with the older did not acknowledge him, “Donghae, we’re meeting her here? She doesn’t want to see me somewhere more… private?”

Donghae bit his lip and shook his head, “She… The Queen Mother is very busy.”

Sehun did not have time to be disappointed. His thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of Victoria, the Queen Mother. Her sky blue robes, twinkling with rare gems from the various mining systems in the cluster, made her appear as dancing water when she walked. Her raven black hair cascaded down her back, the ends magicked to match her ceremonial robes. Jinah, the Princess and future ruler of the cluster, followed close behind, her eyes meeting Sehun's for a moment before she burst into giggles. Victoria glanced at her daughter, smiling rather than reprimanding her for the breach in decorum. 

Sehun and Dongahe bowed low in respect until Victoria indicated that they should stand, extending her arms to call Sehun to her for a warm hug. The younger man crossed the space between them in moments and Sehun curled into her, coming away bright red and looking even younger than before.

"I'm happy that you could make it," Victoria said simply, taking her seat, "We have so much to discuss."

Sehun opened his mouth to respond, but Donghae placed a careful hand in the small of his brother's back to silence him.

"I am sending you away," Victoria said simply, ignoring Sehun's sudden gasp. "Your brother," she continued, indicating Donghae, who bowed again respectfully, "has done great work in opening up trade negotiations with the Senator Lee Jinki of the EXO planetary system, including an exclusive contract to clear a particularly strategic area for mining. You'll accompany your brother to Coruscant and participate in the final discussions. It's time that you began to make connections within the Republic to promote the good of our Cluster."

Sehun's mouth went dry. "Coruscant?" He managed, the word coming out unusually raspy as he struggled to hide his disappointment. A smattering of chatter rose from the assembled audience members, including a terrible, derisive laugh that was cut off mid-breath. Sehun felt heated eyes on his back and he forced himself to stand up straighter despite the weakness in his knees. 

Victoria nodded, letting a beat pass to allow her son a moment to recover, "And while you are there, you will also be given a second task, one even more essential to the good of the Cluster. The task of finding a bride."

Sehun choked on his tongue, Donghae holding tight to the younger man's forearm to keep him steady. 

"To show the rest of the Republic that we are far from the reclusive, selfish little shut-ins they like to claim we are, you, my youngest son, will marry outside of the Cluster. My advisors recommend that I betrothe to a specific House, but ... I feel that you should be given the option of finding your own mate first," Victoria explained, her face softening as she witnessed Sehun's nervous twitching, "This is meant to be an honor, Sehun. Please consider it one."

"How?" Sehun whispered, Donghae pinching his brother in an attempt to silence him. "You're sending me away. I've never even been outside the cluster. What am I supposed to do?"

Victoria pressed her lips together, her affection for her youngest playing out in her watering eyes, "Please understand, my son. This is an honor." She did not continue the conversation, standing suddenly, shocking the audience around her into the required deep bow of respect necessary whenever the Queen left the room. Sehun felt his lungs empty and he collapsed to the ground, trembling. He bit deep into his lip. He was a man and he would not cry for this.

Donghae's eyes met Jinah's, the princess halfway across the chambers, rushing to get to her brother. Donghae shook his head slowly and she stopped in her tracks. This was not the time for a reunion between the two siblings. Donghae crouched next to his brother and watched Sehun's teeth break the tender skin of his lips, a single scarlet bead of blood rising to the surface.

"Coruscant isn't so bad," Donghae said, leaning into his brother, his eyes turning back to Jinah, as though daring her to contradict him.

Sehun scoffed, shaking his head, “I haven’t seen her in almost three months and that is all she has to say to me. That I am being sent away… I didn’t even get a chance to say anything. After three months, all she has to say to me is that I am the body she thinks is attractive enough to be sent away to be married off to some foreigner.”

“Please, Sehun,” Jinah begged, taking another step forward in spite of Donghae’s angry glare, “It isn’t like that. She means this to be an honor for you. You will get to marry before any of us, even me!”

“The Hapes Cluster is my home,” Sehun said simply, the bright red blood straining his lips a pretty pink as he talked, “I have no desire to marry some uncivilized democratic republican with no proper respect for our ways and … Jinah, have you seen the fashions they bring in from the Inner Rim?” A sparkle of sarcasm twinkled in his eyes as he looked towards his sister and Donghae felt a deep relief. Maybe his brother could be reasoned with afterall if he was already prepared to be making jokes.

Jinah plopped down next to them, making herself comfortable on the cool tile, spreading her flowing skirt all around her until it made a halo of fabric for her to fiddle with. “I’m sorry that Mother is the way she is,” Jinah whispered, “She wants the best for us and for the Cluster. Don’t forget that. She is under many heavy burdens that you never even hear about. And with Donghae’s possible-”

“I’m not made for that life, Jinah,” Sehun said, “I’m not made to court Senators and Chancellors and businessmen. I’m not you and I’m definitely not Donghae.”

“I don’t know about that,” Jinah replied, “Sometimes I think you two have a lot more in common that you realize.”

Donghae cocked an eyebrow to disagree, “I promise there are plenty of very lonely Senators and businessmen of dubious ethics that will be more than happy to play to your particular… needs, my baby brother. Just keep your filthy little hands off my Chancellor.”

Jinah’s playful laugh filled the chambers and the Queen’s various attendants stopped what they were doing to peak in and check on their future charge. Sehun’s eyes were already beginning to soften and Donghae knew that it would be all right in the end. His brother was prone to fits, to overreactions, to a bratty insistence that he was somehow entitled to be left to his own devices while the rest of the royal family worked overtime to ensure the future of the Hapes Cluster and the Consortium that had formed around their mother’s matriarchal monarchy. But if there was anything that defined Sehun, it was a loyalty to the idea of the Consortium and a love of Hapes that rivaled that of the Queen Mother herself. Donghae reached over to rub Sehun’s back, feeling the younger man relax beneath his touch. Sehun was still his confused baby brother underneath all the kinky sex and sarcastic comments.

“It’s going to be fine, Sehun,” Donghae said, leaning in to rest his forehead against Sehun’s temple, “We’ll go to Coruscant, we’ll have a great time and I know you will bring home someone that will make Mother so very proud of you.”

 

Kris stripped quickly once their ship left Coruscant, headed towards the hidden world of Dathomir through the shining lights of hyperspace. While he was content to wear all the trappings of a successful businessman while working on the central planet’s surface, he always felt more at home in the soft fabrics of his home world, the chill of space kept away by the sturdy and functional black robes that most Sith preferred. And there was something particularly powerful about standing before the expanse of space in nothing but your skin, feeling completely at one with the universe. It was a feeling no Jedi would understand, Kris was sure, the cold darkness of space creating goose bumps up and down his bare body. 

He shivered, wondering for a second if Junmyeon would appreciate this feeling… if he would consent, one day, to being thoroughly used against the thick floor to ceiling glass separating the ship’s inhabitants from the freezing death of space. Kris closed his eyes and let himself imagine Junmyeon’s soft skin pressed to the hard, unfriendly glass. He licked his lips and let his eyes fade back to their natural darkness.

“Could you turn it down a bit?” Jongdae announced as he entered Kris’s private chambers, “I can hear your overactive imagination all the way in the engine room and I am frankly – “ The younger man stopped in the door way, his lips – the only part of him visible due to his robe being pulled low around his face – parted but he did not continue his thought and Kris instantly felt exposed. Jongdae reached up and slowly lowered his hood, his one good eye working its way over every inch of Kris’s untouched, undamaged skin. 

Kris quickly grabbed his robe and threw it around his shoulders, hurrying to tie it around the middle to cover himself, “I’m so sorry, Jongdae. I truly didn’t mean to call you in here.”

“You didn’t,” Jongdae said simply, pressing his lips together for a moment before continuing, “It’s just me being too curious again. Did you really call him ‘your treasure’? Does that line work for you often, Master?”

Jongdae turned to fiddle with some instruments on Kris’s desk, willing his breathing to return to normal. It wasn’t that he had never seen Kris naked before – that was, in fact, a familiar sight more than anything – but Kris’s easy handsomeness and the long, unmarred expanse of his skin made Jongdae feel that much more obvious in his ugliness. It was a silly thing to worry about, the Sith apprentice reminded himself, but there was something about being ugly, about having to wear his hood low, about knowing that people were repulsed by his haunting injuries that made Jongdae hate the Jedi even more. 

The Nightsisters – female Witches who practiced an ancient form of Sith magic – had offered many times to teach him the same spells that hid Kris’s dark eyes, but Jongdae refused. He dreamed, ached, for the day when he would kill a Jedi with his own hands, forcing that pathetic monk to stare at him, to understand what they had done to him. Jongdae’s face – once as handsome as Kris’s, in his opinion maybe even more so – was now a maze a scars. 

One eye had been pierced completely through and now shimmered a Bantha’s milk blue due to the magic that the Nightsisters had applied to keep him from losing it completely. Two deep dimples of dark red scarred the centers of his cheeks where an intensely hot shaft of metal had been pushed through his flesh, piercing his tongue and breaking many of his back teeth. He has wished for death then. Instead, he had been rewarded with the heat of a stolen lightsaber being pressed into branding shapes against his back and stomach, marking him for life as property of the slavers who had stolen him that night.

Oh, yes. One day, a very lucky Jedi would be asked to pay for what had been done to Kim Jongdae. They would pay for not coming back for him and for not being the Force tribe to pull him from darkness. He remembered the day when Kris had opened the door of the torture cell, his eyes – brown then, having not been converted by the magic just yet – taking in the broken boy in front of him. That day, Jongdae had been reborn as Chen, an acolyte of the Sith.

“Jongdae,” Kris whispered, pulling his apprentice from his thoughts. Kris was the only person in the galaxy who still called him by his given name. 

Jongdae nodded and started to pull up his hood again, to save Kris from having to witness his injuries. Kris lifted a hand to stop him and Jongdae felt himself swell with affection for his Master, the only person who had ever told him he was still beautiful in the Force. “I thought we could talk.”

“About what exactly?” Kris said, taking a seat at his desk and turning on his datapad to check the Holonet news.

“About Kim Junmyeon mostly,” Jongdae started, “I want to know what you to do with him. I want to know why you haven’t asked for permission to land on EXO Planet yet. We could be halfway to the Tree by now, but you’re too busy surprising him at his office and giving him pet names. It’s gross.”

Kris glanced up, cocking an eyebrow, “Maybe you shouldn’t eavesdrop, if you don’t like hearing our conversations. What’s important is that Kim Junmyeon thinks that being called a ‘treasure’ is sweet and romantic. What’s important is that Kim Junmyeon trusts me completely – and when the time comes for us to make our move, he will be very useful.”

Jongdae sighed and spun around on his heels, unable to face his Master without anger in his eyes, “You – are hiding something from me, Kris and I don’t like it.”

Kris leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table, “Yes, Jongdae. I am hiding something from you. Because I wasn’t sure that you would understand what is about to happen to us.” Kris flicked his wrist, pulling an ancient book from his shelves and sending it across the room. It landed on the desk, facing Jongdae, opening to an illustration of the ancient Tree of Life. 

Jongdae was as familiar with the story as anyone who had grown up under the tutelage of the Sith. What he had not known until six months ago was that the Tree and the ancient library that was said to surround it, filled with all the knowledge of the old Sith culture, were as real as anything in the history books. And the Nightsisters were sure it was hidden in the jungles of EXO Planet.

“You know what this is, Jongdae,” Kris said simply, “This is our goal. The Tree of Life. The one thing in this galaxy or any other that can give us the power to overthrow the tyranny of the Jedi and reinstate our people as the superior Force tribe. Now, what do you think prevents the average person – the person unfamiliar with our ways – from simply entering the temple and taking our knowledge and power for themselves? What do you think has stopped the Jedi for thousands of years from digging deep into our magic?” Kris watched Jongdae study the illustration for clues before shrugging at his Master. “It’s the sacrifice. It’s what has to be done to open up the temple itself. It’s what has to be done for the Tree to acknowledge you as a Sith Lord.”

Jongdae ran his fingers over the illustration, licking his lips as though the word ‘sacrifice’ itself were something deeply sexual and forbidden.

“And for that sacrifice to be accepted, it must be done willingly,” Kris said flatly, reaching over to slam the book shut. 

Jongdae’s untouched eye was on fire when he looked back at his Master, “And Kim Junmyeon? Would he –“

Kris pressed his lips together and spun around to look back out over the expanse of the galaxy, rushing past their window in streaks of white hot light as they traveled through hyperspace, “For a man who calls him a ‘treasure’, for a man who makes last minute, oh so romantic visits to his office. For a man who treats him well and makes him feel things that he has never felt before. For a man who he loves, I believe Kim Junmyeon would do many things.” 

 

Minseok sighed contentedly as Luhan’s fingers drifted over his skin, tracing the outline of his lips, testing the softness of his cheeks, ghosting over his closed eyelids. Perhaps, Minseok thought as Luhan continued his slow examination of his dear friend, perhaps this was too intimate to be allowed by the Jedi Code, but there was something comforting about this action, this slow ritual. It felt easy to kneel before his Miraluka friend, letting his sightless friend explore his more physical appearance. The Miraluka were a near-Human race, except that they lacked biological eyes, instead seeing the world through the lens of the Force.

Minseok and Luhan had done this thing since they were younglings, a weekly meeting that had never been questioned except by the two participants themselves. When, as Padawan, they had discovered that Luhan could not truly perceive what Minseok looked like in the physical sense – his appearance hidden behind a powerful, almost blinding Force light that revealed his potential as a leader of the Jedi – they had developed this unusual practice to give Luhan the experience of “seeing” Minseok. Now, they both sat on the Jedi Council, advising against just this sort of activity in the younglings who were trained beneath them. Luhan’s control of his Force Sight had greatly improved over the years, but they still maintained this meeting.

Luhan’s thumb dragged along Minseok’s bottom lip, pulling a sudden, shuddering breath from the older Jedi. Luhan pulled his hands away quickly, “I suppose that’s enough for today. Thank you.”

Minseok nodded and stood quickly, just in time for Yixing to step into the chambers of the Jedi Council. Yixing bowed low to Minseok as the Master of the Order, before acknowledging Luhan’s presence and taking his seat on Minseok’s right, “Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Luhan said simply, reclining in his own seat, “We were just finished. Minseok and I had some ideas about how to deal with the problem of the younglings. Perhaps it is time to bring the School Master into our discussions.”

Yixing bowed to them both again, “A fine idea. I’m sure Baekhyun would be happy to offer his assistance in this matter. I can arrange for him to be present at our next Council meeting.” Yixing reached up and tuned his nitrogen intake before continuing, “I, however, wanted to discuss something with the two of you personally. Something more pressing than scheduling conflicts. Before the rest of the Council arrive, if I could be so bold.”

“I’ll allow it,” Minseok nodded, “I know you wouldn’t ask for such a breech in tradition, if you didn’t think it important.”

“Masters,” Yixing began, “I attended the Senate hearings today.”

Luhan shifted in his seat, always uneasy around talk of politics. Luhan had long disagreed with Yixing’s suggestion that Jedi should involve themselves in the social justice movements of the new Senate and had even threatened to leave the Council when Minseok had allowed Yixing to begin attending the session as an official representative of the Jedi Order, despite having taken orders that should have assured his service for the rest of his natural life.

Yixing, as was his habit when acting to control his emotions, lifted his hand to his breathing apparatus and again, adjusted his nitrogen intake, “I attended the Senate hearings today,” he repeated before continuing, “The representative from EXO Planet did a very interesting presentation today. I heard some things that should greatly concern the Jedi. And saw some things, as well. Things I… things I do not quite understand.”

Luhan turned back to study Yixing through the Force, “About the Dark of the Jungle? I thought we had decided to let EXO Planet deal with that themselves. We warned the colonists that that planet was not safe. They did not heed our warning and I do not see it as our responsibility to protect those who would not even respect our learned opinion on the matter.”

“I… disagree,” Minseok said, always a man of very few words. He nodded towards Yixing for the younger Jedi Master to continue.

Yixing refused to back down, staring straight at Luhan as he continued, “The young Senator from EXO Planet made a compelling case. I think we should attend his presentation tomorrow all together. You made be surprised at how advanced the Dark seems to have become, not just on EXO Planet, but on Korriban and other former Sith strongholds. I am not saying that we shouldn’t retain a healthy sense of skepticism – after all, the primary reason these planets remain targets for colonists is purely commercial – but I do not think that it is wise for the Council to remain neutral on this topic any longer. Especially after… I saw something today. Perhaps, ‘saw’ is the wrong word, but I felt something today that I have never felt before.”

Minseok’s forehead creased as he leaned towards Yixing, “What kind of feeling?”

“Kris Wu,” Yixing said suddenly, “Do you remember him?”

“Of course,” Luhan replied, “He was one of my first students. But he was too old and was dismissed from training shortly after coming to Coruscant. He would have been a good student, probably a solid Jedi as well, had he been identified earlier.”

Yixing nodded, “Yes, and he was in the Senator’s office today - Kim Junmyeon, the Senator of EXO Planet who has been working so hard to get our attention and the attention of the Senate to deal with his Dark problem. He left the Senator’s office and was actively cloaking himself in the Force. He didn’t want to be seen.”

“Not surprising,” Luhan replied, speaking slowly as though still working out his argument as he spoke, “He works in mining now – mining for rare minerals and gemstones, including stones for the weapons and military industries. He was trained well enough early on that cloaking himself would not be unreasonable, especially considering how unpopular he has become in some circles for his continued supply of materials to the war efforts in other clusters.”

“I do not think it had anything to do with his mining company,” Yixing said, his implication much more serious this time, again reaching up to adjust his breathing. “I think we should investigate Kris Wu and his connection to EXO Planet.”

Minseok stood and walked to the window, looking out over the Coruscant traffic below, turning over these suspicions in his mind. He knew Luhan would disagree, always the one to argue for more restraint and a more neutral position in political and economic matters. On the other hand, Yixing would push for the Jedi to have a permanent committee in the Senate chamber if he thought the motion would pass the majority of the Jedi Council. They were both dear to him and their opinions were greatly respected, but he knew in this moment, it would all come down to him.

“Luhan, I would like you to attend the presentation with Yixing and report back to me your findings on the origin of the Dark. Consult with the librarians, if necessary. We need more information before we can decide whether or not to become involved. I do not want the Jedi pulled into some alarmist campaign by a young Senator looking to make a name for himself,” Minseok said, pleased to feel both of his fellow Masters grin happily behind him. “And… would you be kind as to call in the others? Luhan, also see if the School Master is available. I’d like to move up that discussion to this meeting, if possible. It worries my mind that we haven’t come to a conclusion about the younglings yet.”

Luhan stood serenely and bowed to the Master of the Order before leaving the chamber to gather the other members of the Council. Yixing had just started to rise, when Minseok grabbed the other Master’s arm, “Yixing, please stay.”

The younger Master sat back into his seat and watched Minseok pace before their chairs for a moment before daring to whisper his leader name, dropping the formality in their privacy, “Minseok, what would you have me do?”

“Watch Kris Wu,” Minseok said simply. “This is not an official assignment. Find a way to watch this man without allowing it to be traced back to the Temple. Luhan… should not be told.”

Yixing stood and bowed as low as possible towards his Master, crouching down until his forehead was pressed to the floor, “I would not bring this before you if I didn’t think –“

“That’s enough,” Minseok replied with a nod, “Uncover the truth about this man. Report only to me. Is that clear?”

Yixing stood up and adjusted his nitrogen intake.


	4. Three

Junmyeon swallowed back as his nerves, stepping forward with purpose when Jinki indicated it was his turn to speak. Every set of eyes in the small room were fixed on him, even before he reached the small platform. Even more unnerving was the knowledge that nearly anyone in the galaxy could be watching him right this minute, the special hearing being broadcast across most of the Inner Rim systems via HoloNet, with a special transmission being sent all the way to EXO Planet itself. He couldn’t help wondering if Kris were still in range to receive the transmission. His destination, Tatooine, was far into the Outer Rim planets, but Junmyeon held on to the hope that Kris’s state-of-the-art transport was sophisticated enough to pick up the faint signal.

“Junmyeon,” Jinki whispered, laying a hand on Junmyeon’s arm and leaning in close, when he noticed his young friend and colleague becoming lost in his thoughts, “Are you all right?”

Junmyeon smiled in response, too aware of the transmitters picking up his every move, and pressed hard on the keypad that began his presentation, sending Jinki back to his seat. The lights in the room dimmed, focusing the attention of the gathered senators and dignitaries on a holographic representation of EXO Planet. The image slowly drew closer to the planet’s surface, stopping in the center of a vibrant mining community. The shot moved easily through the streets of the small city, pausing for holographic residents of EXO Planet to wave at the senators. 

A group of children played happily near a fountain, bright blue water shooting from the mouth of an Hssis statue – a type of dark, dangerous dragon that populated EXO Planet’s extensive waterways and featured prominently in many of EXO Planet’s ancient myths. A fantastic building was being constructed at the center of the town, a young woman directing construction with vigor before pausing to allow the cameraman to interview her. The smile that spread across her face instantly endeared her to the audience, vibrant and alive. “I’m not worried,” she said with a casual shrug, “The Temple will be completed in time for the visit of the Jedi Masters. It will be a true monument to all the lives lost to take our planet back from the Sith Lords.” She paused to listen to another question, unheard by the camera. The young woman laughed and slapped her interviewer on the shoulder, causing the camera to shake, “Don’t be ridiculous, Junmyeon! You know I wouldn’t let you down.”

Every viewer turned to watch the senator’s face as he watched the playback fade to a map of the city, “That… that was Amber Liu, the chief project manager for the building of a new Jedi Temple in the wilderness of EXO Planet. To honor those that fell in that place during the war with the Sith. The Dark took her eight and a half months ago. She has been lying in our best hospital, unconscious, that entire time. There is nothing that can be done for her with our current knowledge of medicine. But her partner does not give up hope that a cure can be found through understanding of what exactly the Dark is and why it is coming for the inhabitants of EXO Planet, Korriban and other planets were the Sith were once strong and powerful.” Junmyeon’s eyes were obviously beginning to swell with tears for his friend.

Jinki started to stand, wanting nothing more than to wrap his friend in a warm hug, but Junmyeon shook his head and indicated that Jinki should stay in his seat. Junmyeon adjusted the map with a quick swipe of his hand, “This was the location of the proposed temple – a place near a small mining community, as you saw in my video. It is a remote location, surrounded on all sides by jungle and not easily accessible to the main cities of EXO Planet. A road was planned to be constructed shortly after the previous video was filmed. They were good people, hard working.” 

The map disintegrated into cold pictures of a gray city, recognizable only as the same town by the presence of the Hssiss statue, the water – if one could call it water – spewing from his mouth now a putrid green so dark it was almost black. 

“This is the location as it stands today. As you can see, the Dark makes quick work of its victims. There were reports of communication errors a few days before the event – missing transmissions and garbled information coming through the HoloNet. Once our authorities learned of what was happening… A terrible storm hit the night before and starting from the moment they woke, the people of the town went mad one by one, screaming about the Darkness all around them, before simply falling into unconsciousness and never waking up. Many of them just left their post at the mining facility. Without anyone to watch the machines or the droids, after only a couple of days, a massive spill of toxic materials occurred, polluting the water systems around the town and causing the few who remained in control of their senses to flee into the jungle. We were able to piece together the events based on the accounts of two survivors and very shaky recording from the various security transmitters around town.”

“The same thing, almost phase for phase, has occurred twice more in the past five years on EXO Planet. And before that, isolated incidents were records every three to six years.” Junmyeon tapped at the keypad, shuffling through pictures of other cities that had fallen to the sickness of the Dark, “And four times has a similar event occurred on the former Sith stronghold of Korriban.” Beside the images from EXO Planet, a second set of images began to play, showing a much drier environment, but with cities that looked remarkably similar to those affected by the Dark on EXO Planet. Junmyeon again tapped at the keypad, turning off the presentation and bringing the lights back up onto him, “The official response of the Senate and the Jedi Temple is that these former Sith planets are not fit for habitation and should be abandoned. However, no provisions have been made for the millions of people who live on the surface. No attempts have been made to make it possible for millions of people to resettle on another similar system. No systems have offered to take my people in – feed, shelter and clothe them during relocation and employ them afterwards. Relocation is not a possibility without these provisions.”

The other senators from the cluster shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the suggestion of being forced to accommodate an influx of refugees, but Junmyeon relaxed them with a gentle shake of his head, “Not to worry, my friends. The people of EXO Planet did not elect me to get them off EXO Planet and our system makes no request for resettlement funds. We are a strong and proud people and we intend to remain on our planet as long as possible. Instead, we request a full inquiry by the Senate, the Senate Historical Committee, and the Intergalactic Health and Healthcare Initiatives into the nature of the Dark and how we can put a stop to these horrific events.”

“Isn’t this a Jedi problem, rather than something to be solved or investigated with Senate funds?” the Senator from Mon Calamari said with a scoff, “It is obviously a Force sickness that is taking your people. You say they all go crazy – “

“The official response of the Jedi Temple is nonaction,” Junmyeon said simply, “They insist that EXO Planet and other Sith strongholds should not be colonized. No Jedi has visited EXO Planet in any official capacity since the events began for the purposes of investigating the Dark from the Jungle. I would agree with you however, Senator. The sickness that affects my people is Force related.”

Several senators turned their heads to cast shocked glances at the two Jedi Masters who had seated themselves at the back of the room before the presentation began. The small Miraluka master shrugged off their judgment, the other reaching up carefully to adjust his nitrogen mask before standing, “Not to contradict the respected opinion of our Senator from Mon Calamari or your presentation, but is there any concrete evidence that this is indeed a Force sickness? Would the Jedi be given access to the survivors of the attacks to obtain further information before committing to any plan of action? The Jedi are happy to offer our services when a sincere need is shown.”

Junmyeon hesitated a moment, remembering Kris’s insistence that the Jedi could not be trusted to help with the problems on EXO Planet, “The… we make no formal request for the Jedi Temple to become involved. However, as the Temple is aware, the people of EXO Planet have, for the last several centuries, exhibited a higher than usual percentage of Force sensitive individuals per head. Few of us are midi-chlorian rich enough to be trained as Jedi, but we have our own practices which train and hone our Force abilities. The survivors of the events always make reference to a presence in the Force that is unlike anything they have ever felt – a Darkness, hence our name for this event, but a Darkness that is everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time, fuzzy at the edge of our understanding of the Force. They are never able to point out a specific person or creature that held this darkness. We are well aware of what the Dark Side feels like – the Hssiss, our dragon creatures, exhibit powerful connections to the Dark Side. My people know what they are talking about. We may not be trained in the ways of the Jedi Temple, but we do know what we are talking about.” Junmyeon made to turn back to his presentation, tapping the keypad to bring up a set of statistics – the proposed cost of a full scale investigation into the jungles of EXO Planet.

“And the survivors? Would the Jedi be allowed to interview them?” Yixing, the Master with the breathing mask, repeated, calling the attention back to the two Jedi.

“I don’t think-“ Jinki started, standing up quickly from his seat near the front of the room.

“You may interview me now, if you wish,” Junmyeon said, interrupting his elder, his back still turned from the Jedi, “Interviews with … other survivors are not possible. Most of them have succumbed to the Dark over time. Most of them are … institutionalized, permanently and incurably unconscious or … dead. But I remain available for comment.”

A quiet buzz filled the room as nearly every senator turned to their friends and colleagues to comment on this new information. Yixing nodded solemnly and took his seat. Luhan, the Miraluka master seated next to him, made a small noise of interest before standing and leaving the presentation. Yixing stared after him for a moment, glancing back to the center of the room to check if the presentation would continue, before standing and hurrying out to join Luhan.

“Perhaps this is enough for today,” Jinki continued, gently moving Junmyeon out of the way and illuminating the rest of the room with a quick press of the keypad, “As you can see, EXO Planet has prepared a package of information on the perceived cost of this endeavor. I will personally see that every representative present receive this information to their datapad by this evening. As always, we welcome comments or corrections from our more experienced colleagues. Please?” Jinki bowed low to the seated Senators and indicated the exit. Few members of the gathered group made to leave immediately, many of the gossip hungry Senators eager to hear more about the now mysterious past of star junior Senator Kim Junmyeon.

Junmyeon remained still, biting his lips as he felt the room empty. Jedi, Kris has said, were not to be counted as allies. Jedi, Kris has warned, would take any opportunity to co-opt the years of work he had put into his education, his election and his time in the senate. Perhaps he had been wrong to dismiss his lover’s warnings so quickly.


	5. Four

Junmyeon squinted across the room, awoken by the faint blue light and annoying beeping of his HoloNet communicator. He rolled over in his bed and tried to go back to sleep, but when his eyes caught the time, he knew it was useless. His alarm was set to go off in just under five minutes. The young senator slipped out of bed and stretched. He mumbled something rude towards his communicator as he stepped across the room to see what agent of the enemy had decided to cut his sleep short. He nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw the name on the identification screen, rushing to answer the call before it disconnected, not even caring that he had failed to put on a shirt.

“I didn’t even know you had my new HoloNet ID,” Junmyeon laughed when Kris’s long body projected in front of him. Junmyeon took a few steps back and sat on the edge of his bed. He pulled the blanket around him to cover himself from the cold of the early Coruscant evening.

Kris shook his head, pretending to slap Junmyeon’s hands away from the warm blanket, “You don’t have to do that. I liked that view.”

Junmyeon felt himself blush and was thankful that the HoloNet instant transmissions didn’t clearly show color, everything and everyone tinted a hazy blue. He let the blanket fall off his shoulders, just enough to reveal his collar bones and upper chest. Kris’s tongue flicked out over his bottom lip and Junmyeon shifted to keep himself from getting too excited about the potential for this technology in the future. “How did you get this ID? I’m sure I didn’t -”

“I have sources and you are a very public man, especially after today’s display” Kris had simply, his attention torn away from Junmyeon’s body for a moment, “I hope you don’t mind. I - I didn’t want to wait to see you again. I know this isn’t much but…”

“It’s fine, I suppose” Junmyeon said, yawning away the last of his afternoon nap, “I need to wake up anyway. Jinki… rather Senator Lee wanted me to meet him at his office for dinner. I came back after the presentation today. I didn’t want to be in the office today, not with all those visitors. Not with all those questions. The motion is moving forward so much faster than I ever imagined. It’s… stressful.”

Kris leaned forward in his chair across the galaxy, nodding seriously, “That’s very impressive, though. You’re doing great work, Junmyeon. Don’t forget that. You were very brave today.”

Junmyeon smiled and bowed his head in thanks, “You saw it, then. I was hoping that you were able to catch the broadcast. It’s crazy though. Six months ago, when I met you, I was no one. I could barely get the Chancellor to acknowledge me for rebuttals, let alone to permit me to present my research.” Junmyeon sighed and started to pull his blanket closer around him, “You’ve made me –“

“You’ve made you,” Kris said, interrupting, “I just had the pleasure of watching you come into your own. Don’t yourself sell short, Kim Junmyeon. You are a treasure. You are a true believer and you are going to change the galaxy.”

Junmyeon could have sworn he felt Kris’s warm, long fingers lingering on the back of his neck as his lover spoke to him from across the universe and he shivered under that phantom touch, “You put a lot of faith in me.”

Kris smiled, “I’ve gotten to know you very well over the last few months.”

“Right,” Junmyeon said with a laugh, “It’s funny in a broken sort of way. You know everything about me and I know almost nothing about you. I mean, I know you sell crystals. I know you’re wealthy and handsome and very … secretive. But I also know what the Force feels like and you use it to take me places – “

“Do you not like it?” Kris answered with a hint of darkness in his voice, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” Junmyeon replied quickly, “I just wish you would tell me how you know these things. I felt you a moment ago, I’m sure of it. And you’re so far away.”

Kris relaxed back in his chair, gently waving his left hand through the air. Junmyeon felt a warm breath along his collarbone and watched as his blanket fell away from him, revealing the rest of his bare chest and stomach. Kris smiled, his eyes running over Junmyeon’s pale skin, its soft perfection obvious even through in the hazy transmission of the long distance projection, “When I get back to Coruscant, if you let me take you out – somewhere very expensive and very public – if you let me take out you, I will answer all of your questions.”

“People will see,” Junmyeon said, stating the obvious as much for himself as for Kris.

“Exactly,” Kris whispered, barely audible over the transmission. He reached up and rubbed two fingers together, watching with delight as Junmyeon’s hand shot to his exposed nipple, the young senator moaning slightly at the ghostly touch. Kris loved how sensitive Junmyeon’s nipples were, the tiny pink nubs capable of bringing his lover close enough to orgasm that only a moment’s touch was necessary to finish him off. “Exactly,” he repeated, “I want everyone in the quadrant to know that you are under my protection. That you’re mine.”

Junmyeon’s eyes fluttered closed as the pressure against his chest increased, pushing him back into the bed, absent fingers trailing down, down over his stomach, “Protection from what, Kris? The two Jedi at my meeting?”

Kris glanced over at his datapad, where public profiles of Masters Zhang Yixing and Lu Han were displayed for his research, “The Jedi… they aren’t what they seem. Let me take care of you now. No more of this.”

“Kris,” Junmyeon moaned, tugging at his pajama pants to encourage this strange but delicious exercise in pleasure, “I don’t want you to think that you’re getting out of this. I want to know what you know about them. I want to know you. I deserve to know, don’t you – aaaah.”

Kris cut his lover off with a precise pressure to the younger man’s growing erection, still clothed, but that didn’t matter, not when it was the touch of the Force that brought the Senator closer and closer to release. “You are so beautiful like this. Laid out for me like this…”

“Don’t – don’t change the subject,” Junmyeon groaned, lifting his hips though he wasn’t sure why. There was nothing to rut against, but he needed it and ached for more. The warmth was confusing, but intoxicating. Junmyeon felt like he would never stop being thoroughly destroyed by the magic of sex with Kris Wu.

“Let me take you out,” Kris repeated, shifting in his own seat aboard his star cruiser, easing the pressing ache on his own erection. He made no move to touch himself. He didn’t need the physical release, not like Junmyeon. What he needed was the sudden rush of emotions – pain and pleasure and want all mixed together in almost alcoholic blend of desire – that came when he was able to keep Junmyeon edging along for just long enough to drive the younger man crazy. What he needed was the look on his lover’s face when he finally came over his own stomach.

“Coffee,” Junmyeon managed, his voice cracking as the perfect round of sensations seized his body, “I will let you take me to coffee. Nothing fancy. Please. Kris, please!”

The sound of Kris’s breathy, deep laugh has Junmyeon close to coming undone. His voice is even darker when he finally speaks, “I do like it when you beg for me.” He crossed two of his fingers together, licking his lips when Junmyeon’s voice catches in his throat. Kris twisted them harder and pushed his fingers against the cold surface of his desk, reveling in the filthy moans that come from the younger man. Across light years and across systems, Kris stretched open his lover finger by finger, teasing the senator’s prostate and filling him up until Junmyeon is choking on his desperate cries for release. “Let me take you out,” Kris whispered again, pushing an unnatural width through Junmyeon’s twitching entrance. “Let me take you out and treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”

Junmyeon grasped at his sheets, giving up his fruitless attempts to push back into this invisible lover, “Kris, please don’t do this to me.”

“It’s just dinner,” Kris answered, puckering his lips to kiss the tip of Junmyeon’s leaking cock, before sweetening the deal, “And the coffee afterwards.”

Junmyeon nodded slowly, feeling himself slipping into that beautiful world of shapeless pleasure that only came when he allowed Kris to take over. He wasn’t sure there were words to describe what it meant when he stopped thinking altogether and simply allowed Kris to happen to him, the other man filling him up and turning him inside out and making him completely pliant under those big hands and powerful spells. It was an orgasm, but triggered in a deeper place, his every nerve on fire and his mind blank. It was bliss to a man who had lived his entire life thinking too much and being haunted by the problems of millions. He was only allowed to stay in that place for a moment before a wet heat with no source swallowed up his aching erection, pulling his physical orgasm out of him violently. He wasn’t sure if he screamed for it or not, but when he finally opened his eyes, Kris was smiling proudly at him from across the stars and he felt beautiful for a moment.

“I’ll call Wendy and check your schedule,” Kris said simply, picking up his datapad to locate Junmyeon’s assistant’s contact information, “I won’t let our appointment interrupt your busy life.”

Junmyeon lifted his head from the bed to gaze at Kris while the older man shuffled through his contacts list, “Why do I even like you, Kris Wu?”

Kris looked up and shrugged, something soft coming over his features as he responded, “I’m not sure about that myself, actually.” Kris watched Junmyeon struggle to sit up, regretting only slightly his decision to penetrate the younger man so deeply. “You’re too beautiful for me, Kim Junmyeon,” Kris whispered, before ending the call suddenly. Grateful to be on the other side of the galaxy from his lover, Kris threw himself from his chair. He stood at the window, looking out over the green planet of Dathomir as his ship approached the Sith planet’s orbit.

“He’s too easy,” Jongdae laughed from the opposite side of the room, “You turn him to putty in moments. His mind is not as strong as you say.”

“He surrendered,” Kris answered, “I did not break him. He chose to surrender to me and that is why he is perfect.”

The corner of Jongdae’s mouth twitched, “You sound so reverent when you talk about him. Is his weakness really something that you admire so much?”

“It is not weakness to love as purely as Kim Junmyeon,” Kris answered, turning back to his apprentice, shocked at his own words. He felt his eyes burn with the image of Junmyeon, flat on his back, trusting him implicitly even as the Sith Lord wrecked his body and fused with his mind.

“Are you… crying?” Jongdae said, his voice suddenly very small and disbelieving. Kris’s apprentice took a hesitant step towards his master.

“No,” Kris replied, lifting a hand to indicate that he wanted no comfort, “Please just… I need some time to prepare for our meeting with the Nightsisters. Make sure our offerings to Kyungsoo are ready. We’ll need his eyes tonight. And the money for the bounty. I need it transferred into an untraceable account.”

“As you say, Master,” Jongdae consented, bowing low and making to leave the room.  
“And, Jongdae?” Kris said, stopping his apprentice at the door, “Don’t ever imply that Junmyeon is weak for succumbing to my magic. Don’t forget, my apprentice, it wasn’t that long ago that I had you broken across this desk.”

Jongdae’s hand fell from the keypad that would open the door, taking a deep breath before answering, “That was different.”

“No. No, Jongdae, it wasn’t,” Kris explained, flicking his wrist to open the door himself so that Jongdae could leave, “Junmyeon is my decision and my choice for this plan of ours and you will respect that.”

A spark of jealousy ignited the room before cooling back into Jongdae’s heart, the familiar aura of regret that surrounded the Sith apprentice returning to normal. “As you say, Master.”


End file.
